New arrival in Thorn Walk marks University Parks tree portal launch

Guests from the University and beyond attended a tree planting ceremony in the University Parks in late November.

The event marked both National Tree Week and the launch of a new web portal that makes information on the trees of the University Parks freely available.

Professor Martin Maiden, Head of Department of Biology and a long-standing member of the Curators who oversee the University Parks, planted a young Hungarian thorn (Crataegus nigra) with the help of Parks team members.

‘Our new department has just moved into the Life and Mind Building, in close proximity to the Parks which are not only a centre for leisure, but also a living collection of biodiverse plants,’ Professor Maiden said. ‘They provide a place to come and learn – and this new tree portal is part of that.’ The Biology department was recently created by merging Zoology and Plant Sciences.

The brainchild of Sam Prior, Arboricultural Manager in the Parks team, the new website includes an interactive map showing every one of the 1,914 trees in the park, with individual photos and information including its common and botanical names, age, dimensions, and any interesting facts.

’We have been working towards this for around three years, collating our own survey information with historic written records for the benefit of Parks users,’ Sam explained. ‘We often get requests for more information about our trees, and we hope the new tree portal gives us a way to provide this in an interesting, interactive and future-proof way.’

As well as displaying information on individual trees, the new website also provides estimates of the wider environmental benefits they provide, both individually and collectively – together, the trees of the parks absorb nearly 100 tonnes of carbon annually. They also help control flood risk by reducing surface water runoff by around 181m3, and protect people’s health by trapping some 430kg of harmful air pollutants.

The site works well on mobile devices, so you can use it to find out more about trees you come across, or to plan a walk around the park ahead of your visit.

The Hungarian thorn sapling that Professor Maiden planted adds to the collection lining Thorn Walk – already a significant botanical resource with more than 30 other members of the family, and one the team plan to extend still further over the coming years.

After the planting ceremony, Sam led the guests on a guided walk of some of the park’s arboreal highlights – from swamp cypresses growing next to the pond and the largest Caucasian elm tree in the country at more than 33 metres to the cluster of giant redwoods near North Lodge.

National Tree Week, organised by The Tree Council and partners, celebrates the start of the annual tree-planting season by mobilising volunteers, conservation organisations and tree enthusiasts across the country. This latest addition to the Parks tree collection takes its place alongside thousands more trees and hedgerows that were planted nationwide in the last week of November.